Bill allowing attorney general to block felons' pensions passed

Posted:
Friday, December 5, 2014 9:01 AM EST

SPRINGFIELD - Legislation that gives the attorney general the ability to stop convicted felons' pension payments has been approved by Illinois lawmakers.

The measure was passed in the Senate by a 51-0 vote on Thursday, while the House passed it last month. Under the legislation, the attorney general would have the ability to stop pension payments to any individual convicted of a felony that's related to their public service.

In July 2014, the Illinois Supreme Court upheld a lower court's ruling, which stated that Attorney General Lisa Madigan couldn't challenge a Chicago police board's decision to allow Jon Burge to keep his pension. Burge is a former Chicago police commander, and was convicted of lying about torturing suspects.

According to state Representative Elaine Nekritz, a co-sponsor of the bill, the measure could help prevent a case similar to Burge's from happening again.